February 21, 2011: Script and bible work! My Vegas line-up! My dieting dogs! And WHY are WE capitalizing RANDOM words?!

I'm simultaneously exhausted and wound up, ready for bed yet hankering to finish work on the half dozen tasks I've been hopping between all day.

Because of a minor hand injury I sustained yesterday, I was unable to hit the weights this morning so I skipped my work-out and focused on writing that series bible.  Unlike scripting, creating one of these documents is a grueling process.  It took me the entire morning just to write the introductory series overview. I got halfway through the character breakdowns before running out of steam somewhere between Dieter and Olivia.  I'm happy with what I have.  I'll tweak it tomorrow, finish up the characters, and bounce it Rob's/Paul's way.

After taking a break to prepare some lamb ribs for lunch, I shifted focus to R&R and booked that Vegas trip.  Flying in late Monday, leaving early Friday, with three terrific dinners in between (and probably four once I nail down that final late Monday night reservation).

Tuesday night, I'll be dining at Joel Robuchon. Robuchon, who had the title "Chef of the Century" bestowed upon him in 1987 and boats a total of 26 Michelin stars, has about a dozen restaurants worldwide.  Two years ago, I ate at his Tokyo flagship , Chateau Joel Robuchon, where I enjoyed an excellent meal in impossibly grand surroundings.  Marty G. highly recommends his Vegas restaurant so I'm looking forward to sampling the sixteen course degustation menu.  Menu items vary, but some of the dishes that caught my eye on the winter line-up include a crispy truffle tart with onion confit and the bone marrow and vegetable ragout with corn and spices.

Wednesday night, I'll get my first taste of molecular gastronomy in North America when I visit to E by Jose Andres.  I've done Tokyo's Molecular Tapas Bar three years running and I'm eager to see what the brilliant Jose Andres (who introduced the small plates concept to North America) has in store for his lucky diners.  And I do mean lucky.  Apparently the restaurant is new and a bit of a secret. It's very intimate, able to accommodate a grand total of eight diners at two seatings a night, but the food, I hear, is exceptional.  Kind of reminds me of another inventive and equally intimate Tokyo restaurant, Aronia de Takazawa, that was only accessible through a non-descript door in an equally non-descript alley.  No secret doors in this case, only a secret email and a bit of luck that helped me secure my reservation.

Thursday night, I'm off to Twist by Pierre Gagnaire for "classic French cuisine with a modern twist".  I didn't have the opportunity to check out Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo in the ANA Intercontinental the last time I was in Japan, but the restaurant had certainly piqued my interest for its Grand Dessert (multiple inspired desserts), an apparent mainstay at all Gagnaire's establishments. Menu highlights include the oven roasted Muscovy Duck with cumin, cinnamon, silver thyme, and bitter chocolate; and the black Perigod truffle with sweet onion and smoky bacon.

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I'm hoping to get a table at Guy Savoy for our first night.  The restaurant wasn't open today, so I was unable to make a reservation, but I'll try my luck tomorrow and hope for the best.  If all goes as planned and I do manage to get a table, I'll no doubt go with the ten course Menu Prestige that offers, among other things, a chocolate fondant with crunchy praline and chicory cream to end the meal.

Done and done.  My evenings are booked but my days are free.  So what the hell else is there to do in Vegas beside eat?

Speaking of eating, my dogs continue their Spartan regimen in a bid to get down to the 22 lb weight limit for in-cabin air travel.  Their progress so far…

 

Jelly. Minor weight fluctuations but well under the limit at 17 lbs. I'm surprised. A dainty eater she aint.

Maximus. Dropped a whopping 0.2 lbs. Must be all that mud he eats. Easily exhausted.

Bubba. Has benefited most from the new exercise routine and reduced diet. Down to a trim 24.6 lbs!

Lulu (right). Dropped 0.6 of a lb. Slow but sure progress.

Now, I turn my attention to doing my pass on Paul's script.  Actually, I already did my first pass earlier today – a laborious hour and a half spent lower-casing his random capitalizations.  GLOVES?  BRA?  LAUNCHED?  Why are some of the character names intermittently capitalized?  And why capitalize only the first part of LANDING gear? I think my writing partner may need some Vegas time  as well.